ATLANTA , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Twenty-seven million new cancer cases are expected by 2030 , according to a report released Tuesday by the World Health Organization 's cancer research agency .

Rates for breast cancer , shown here under a microscope , have tripled in some Asian countries .

That compares to 12 million new cases in 2007 , the report found . The group forecast a 1 percent increase globally each year , with emerging economies such as China , Russia and India being hit the hardest .

The major culprit : tobacco .

`` About 1.3 billion people smoke globally , making tobacco the major avoidable cause of death and disease worldwide , '' the report found .

Experts say less developed countries are especially vulnerable , predicting a 38 percent increase in those regions by 2030 . Watch more on the report ''

Tobacco killed 100 million people in the world last century and will kill a billion in the 21st century , unless changes are made , said John R. Seffrin , chief executive officer at the American Cancer Society , Tuesday .

Besides smoking , other causes for the rise in the disease include high-fat diets including fast food and decreased physical activity , reflective of increasingly western lifestyles , the report found .

In addition , the rate of breast cancer has doubled or tripled in countries like Japan , Singapore and Korea , according to the report . In Africa , 518,000 people have died from cancer since the start of 2008 -- cervical cancer being the leading cancer killer among women , the report found .

But there is good news for some Western nations . Cancer mortality rates are falling in Great Britain and the United States , said Seffrin .

Effective cancer treatment in developing countries , experts say , depends on prevention and more data .

`` Awareness of the global cancer burden pandemic and its causes will help establish and enforce policies , resources and programs to control cancer and tobacco , and to de-stigmatize cancer , '' according to the WHO report .

CNN 's Miriam Falco contributed to this report .

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Report : 38 percent increase in cancer in developing countries by 2030

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Emerging economies such as China , Russia and India will be hit hardest

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Smoking , high-fat diets , decreased physical activity are cited causes